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Gospel Wakefulness Changes our Theological Pursuit

by Jared Wilson

Gospel wakefulness changes theological pursuit. It reorients knowledge to become the means to knowing God, not knowing stuff. It exults in God, not merely in thoughts about God. True theology galvanizes our affections toward God, not toward theology. It is possible, remember, to have all knowledge but merely be a clanging cymbal (1 Corinthians 13:1).

And one of the greatest cautions in my study is knowing that there is no theological point that a demon couldn’t assent to. A demon may be a Calvinist, an Arminian, a Baptist, a Wesleyan, a Presbyterian, a pretribulationist, an amillennialist, a credobaptist, a paedobaptist, a Zwinglian sacramentalist, or a Lutheran one. What a demon can’t be, however, is a worshiper of God. Real worshipers worship in spirit as well as truth (John 4:23–24).

What gospel wakefulness accomplishes, then, is the bringing of one’s heart to theological study, not just one’s mind.

From Gospel Wakefulness by Jared Wilson.

October 19, 2011 | Posted in: The Christian Mind,The Gospel,Worship | Author: Angie Cheatham @ 8:00 am | 0 Comments »

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How Do You Prioritize What You Read?

There are millions of books on the market. How do you decide which ones to read or which ten thousand books to not read? Tony Reinke, author of Lit!:A Christian Guide to Reading Books, gives six priorities that helps him determine which books to invest his time in. “As with most areas of life, success requires planning,” Reinke explains. “Having a clear purpose for why you read will ensure that the few books you choose will be the books most likely to benefit your life.”

6 Priorities that Decide What Books I Read:

  1. Reading Scripture: If we neglect Scripture in order to read only other books, we not only cut ourselves from the divine umbilical cord that feeds our souls, we also cut ourselves from the truth that makes it possible for us to benefit from the truth, goodness, and beauty in the books that we read.
  2. Reading to know and delight in Christ: The largest topical section in my personal library features books on the person and work of Christ. This is my second highest ranked priority, just after my direct reading of Scripture. If we commit to reading books of solid theology, our knowledge of Christ will grow, because theology (of the right sort) is about knowing God and His Son intimately. Knowledge of Him (not just about Him) feeds, transforms, and vivifies the soul. This is the most delightful pursuit we could ever know.
  3. Reading to kindle spiritual reflection: The Christian life is about training the mind, kindling the affections, and learning the vocabulary of the faith (1 Cor. 14:20; Rom. 12:2). This requires deep spiritual reflection on topics like faith, grace, sin, death, and eternal life. The Christian literature that fuels my spiritual reflection comes in a variety of sizes, formats, and genres. (including novels, poetry, and biography).
  4. Reading to initiate personal change: These are the books for battle, the sharp weapons for putting off sin and putting on righteousness. These books help me confront and defeat personal sin and unbelief. They help me to honor God in my role as a husband and as a parent. Our growing knowledge of God must lead to growth in conformity to Christlikeness (2 Pet. 1:5–8). This reading category forces me to think proactively about personal growth and to determine where in my life I need to focus my attention. Carefully selected books will set the pace for focused and long-term change. The church is blessed by a wealth of books on marriage, parenting, sex, depression, discontentment, stress, anxiety, fear, anger, and many others.
  5. Reading to pursue vocational excellence: Christians are to work as though their boss is the Lord himself (Col 3:23), meaning we are called to pursue vocational excellence. And working with skill requires laboring wisely and thoughtfully. I read for vision, to discover and leverage my God-given strengths, to communicate clearly, to organize, to improve my decision making and problem solving,
  6. Reading to enjoy a good story: I read for leisure: non-Christian literature, novels, biographies, humor, and fantasy. Christians should not blush when they read for pleasure, for escape, or “just for fun.” Provided that this is not a form of escapism—and assuming the book does not glorify sin—the practice is enjoyable and honors God.

Learn more about Lit! or read a sample chapter.

Tony Reinke is a former journalist who serves as a theological researcher and blogs at Miscellanies.

September 27, 2011 | Posted in: Arts & Literature,Books,Pursuit of Holiness,Sanctification/Growth,The Christian Mind | Author: Angie Cheatham @ 6:00 am | (2) Comments »

Posted in Arts & Literature, Books, Pursuit of Holiness, Sanctification/Growth, The Christian Mind | 2 Comments »

7 Steps to Family Worship

Jesus likely owns your Sundays, but does he own your home? Making worship a part of the family routine is an essential part of having a spiritually vibrant household. If we don’t get into the Word daily as a family, children can learn to view church (and the Lord) as simply a nice, weekly excursion. Faith can become more of a show than a deep-seeded lifestyle. Having regular family devotionals is a way to make faith a daily, integral part of life, rather than a Sunday habit. Voddie Baucham Jr. offers seven steps to implement family worship in your home.

  1. Family worship must be born of conviction. As parents, you must be convinced that this is something you need. Without this conviction, follow through will be next to impossible.
  2. Family worship begins with the head of the household. Wives, don’t demand that your husband start family worship. It needs to come from him.
  3. Family worship must be scheduled. If we don’t plan a time to worship, we’ll skip it. It takes about 30 days to form a habit, so forming a worship schedule will help ingrain it into the family pattern.
  4. Family worship must be simple. It doesn’t need to be a big production. No power points necessary. All you need is commitment to gather together with the Word of God. Keeping it simple makes it easy to spice up or simplify when you want to.
  5. Family worship must be natural. Don’t try to be something you aren’t. This is not the time to pretend or be extravagant. Choose songs that your family loves to sing and study materials that fit your situation in life. Your children can detect a lack of authenticity.
  6. Family worship must be mandatory. Nobody gets to skip out, including sulky teenagers. Rebellion and family worship belong in different realms and require separate attention.
  7. Family worship must be participatory. It is not a performance by one gifted member of the family that is simply observed by everyone else. Invite your children to join in singing, choosing songs, reading Scripture, praying, discussing issues, etc. Participation will help your children grow, and can even touch the heart of the rebellious teen.

Learn more about surrendering your home to God in Family Driven Faith.

September 21, 2011 | Posted in: Children,Family,Parenting,Sanctification/Growth,Worship | Author: Crossway Staff @ 10:17 am | 0 Comments »

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More Than a Momentary Defense Against Temptation

Romans 8:5-8 says: For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Setting the mind on the Spirit is not just about what you do in the moment of temptation. It is a reorienting of your thoughts, your desires, and your motivations, so that a Spirit-oriented focus becomes the established pattern of your life.

It might be helpful to imagine your thoughts as scheming inmates who are plotting a jailbreak. (The tendency of your thoughts to jailbreak is one aspect of the flesh). Your thoughts need to be trained so that they stay on the things the Spirit produces, such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22–23). Normally, your thoughts will try to escape toward jealousy, envy, anger, sensuality, immorality, and even idolatry (Gal. 5:19–21). But you have been called, as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:5, to “take every thought captive to obey Christ.”

In daily life this means that:

  • You talk to God throughout the day.
  • You fill your mind with songs of worship and you keep directing them upward.
  • You let your thoughts dwell on things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Phil. 4:8).
  • You actively, by the Spirit, reject wrong thoughts as they come in.

Sometimes as I’m walking, a thought will pass through my mind that I know doesn’t please the Lord. I’ll immediately and suddenly say “stop it!” to that thought. In other words, I rebuke whatever thoughts are not pleasing to the Lord and redirect my thoughts so that they are once again captive to the obedience of Christ.

Adapted from Walking in the Spirit by Kenneth Berding. Learn more or read a free sample chapter.

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August 30, 2011 | Posted in: Pursuit of Holiness,Sin & Temptation,The Holy Spirit | Author: Angie Cheatham @ 8:37 am | 0 Comments »

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“Just Say No” to Sin?

Guest post by Kenneth Berding, author of Walking in the Spirit

Do you remember the “just say no to drugs” campaign waged a number of years ago? (The slogan “just say no” continues to be used in schools across the country). The assumption of the slogan was that kids could simply say “no” whenever faced with temptation. Is that true? Can we simply say “no” whenever we are tempted?

There is a significant difference between a believer and an unbeliever who tries to answer this question. An unbeliever is utterly stuck in sin. Granted, the unbeliever can clean up a behavior he views as wrong, but is that really house cleaning? Such “cleaning” is no more than moving piles from one room to another so the guests can’t see the mess.The unbeliever’s attempt to overcome sin reminds me of the children’s arcade game where you have to hit with a huge mallet whatever blue furry head pops up. The problem with trying to deal with temptation simply by hitting it down is that the moment an unbeliever hits one popping-up head, another pops up behind or in front of him. The unbeliever simply does not have the means by which to consistently overcome sin because he or she has not been indwelt by the Spirit.

But one who has come into a right relationship with God by receiving God’s gift of grace through faith and who has been indwelt by the Spirit of God has been given whatever is needed to overcome a given temptation. “Whatever is needed” is no less than the presence and power of God’s own Spirit! And this is what we have received if we truly know him (Rom 8:9-11).So how should we cooperate with what the Holy Spirit is trying to do to sanctify us? Galatians 5:16 offers a straightforward answer: “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” Walking by the Spirit and carrying out the desires of the flesh are mutually exclusive ideas; you are either walking by the Spirit or carrying out the desires of the flesh. You can’t do both at the same time. In short, you need to learn how to walk in the Spirit.

Simply saying “no” to sin is like trying to remove all of the air from a cup by covering it with a plastic lid and trying to suck out the air with a straw. You can’t get it all out, even if the lid is well sealed—which it isn’t if you are an unbeliever. But if your goal really is to remove all the air from a cup, fill it up with water and you can be certain that all the air will be out! (Side note: water is one of many biblical metaphors for the Spirit, John 7:38-39). If you really want to overcome sin, then learn the pattern of living life in step with the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:16; Rom 8:4), being filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18), setting your mind on the things of the Spirit (Rom 8:5-8). The result of such “walking” will be a realization of the power you need to put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit (Rom 8:12-13).

There is more to be said about overcoming sin than what I’ve written here, but today I wanted to focus on this one key component. It is a vital message for a church culture that tends toward simplistic moralism and does not often stress what the Bible accentuates about overcoming sin by walking in step with the Spirit.

Learn more about Walking in the Spirit or read a sample chapter.

Kenneth Berding is (PhD, Westminster Theological Seminary) is professor of New Testament at Talbot School of Theology at Biola University and author of numerous books. Before coming to Talbot, Dr. Berding was a church planter in the Middle East and taught at Nyack College just north of New York City. He has a heart for God and ministry, and has written many worship songs and served as a worship pastor in local church ministry.

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August 23, 2011 | Posted in: Pursuit of Holiness,Sanctification/Growth,Sin & Temptation,The Holy Spirit | Author: Angie Cheatham @ 6:00 am | (2) Comments »

Posted in Pursuit of Holiness, Sanctification/Growth, Sin & Temptation, The Holy Spirit | 2 Comments »